Means for embossing and printing



June 22, 1954 K. P. REIMANN MEANS FOR EMBOSSING AND PRINTING Filed Jan. 31, 1951 INVENTOR. .KC/Q7' P. @ENVIA/VN A TTOQA/E K5 I. t 2,681,612"4 p f MEANsYFoR EMBo'ssING ANn rRINTmG "Kurt Reimann, `Rutlierfnl'd, Application jamai-yal, 1951, 'serial No. 208,749 (cl. 10i-25) 1` Claim.

.Thisinvention relates to a method and means 1 for` forming, molding .or embossing and/or printing a continuous roll of iiexible material.

. At present, the transfer of a design-or a molded partto a roll of exible material is accomplished with embossing and printing rollers in separate operations involving considerable labor and cost.

It-Iisrthe object of this invention to provide a relatively inexpensive substitute for the known embossing and printing rollers together with the requisiteaccessorial equipment for the utilization thereof; -1 1 1 1 furtherobject-is to combinetheembossing or forming and printing steps in one operation.

`Another obj ectis to decrease costs in the manufacture 1 of I molded -and/or- -printed flexible goods in order that the benets-thereof can be brought to agreater number. A 1 `1 1 1 j 1 Other objects-ofthe instant invention will beicome apparent in 1the course of the following specification.

In the attainment of these objectives, the de vice is constituted of 'an endless screen in which the transferable designs or patterns or characters are woven or attached, the points of the design being sufficient for the molding of the flexible material and/or the transfer of the design in ink. The endless screen is rotatably passed in the manner of a belt around a cylinder and a roller so that a portion of the screen is superposed upon a portion of the cylinder. An endless blanket is rotatably superposed upon a portion of the screen around the cylinder and the flexible material to be treated is passed between the superposed screen and blanket around the cylinder. By applying ink to the screen and the screen and blanket and flexible material moving together around the cylinder, the outline of the screen is molded in the flexible material by heat and pressure and/or imprinted.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing by Way of example a preferred embodiment of the inventive concept.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of the molding and printing device for a continuous roll of flexible material constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention;

Figure 2 is ayfragmentary View of one screen used in the device of Figure l for transferring a design to the flexible material; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of another screen used in the device of Figure 1.

Referring now in graterdetail tothe drawings where like reference numerals indicate like parts,

reference numeral IIJ indicates the screen, IIthe" blanket and,I2 the cylinder. 1 1 The screen I0 is woven in the usual manner from any suitable material and has in the weave such raised points as the points of connection 3I ofthe `strands shown in Figure 3, or may have 1 the points `:raised along the outline of the'flowerf 32 shown in Figure 2, the designof the fiower being attached to the screen. The screenI is* further formed into an endless belt and isrotatably passed around the following described cylinder I2 and the roller I4 in the manner of a belt. The cylinder I2 is a hollow drum which maybe closed at both ends for the introduction of"` steam and is keyed to a shaft I3 journaleol in any desired1 manner between two supports (not shown) The roller I4 is rotatably supported11parallel 1' to the shaft I3 of the cylinder and is1 spaced 1from the outer surface thereof as illustrated.

Coaoting with the roller I4 is the auxiliary roller1I5 also rotatably mounted parallel to the shaftvl `Land in tangential contact with the roller I4 as further illustrated. By this construction, the screen III passes around a portion of the cylinder I2, and between the roller I4 and the auxiliary roller I5. By imparting rotary motion to the shaft I3 or to the roller I 4 or both, the screen and the cylinder and the rollers are simultaneously rotated.

Superposed upon a portion of the screen Il around the cylinder I2 is an endless blanket II. The blanket I I is of known material and is rotatably passed around the rollers I5 and I1 with a part of the inner portion superposed upon the screen and with the remainder or outer portion in spaced arrangement around a part of the periphery of the cylinder. The roller I6 is in tangential contact with the screen while the roller I'I is spaced from the screen, the rollers I6 and I'I being on opposite sides of the roller I4 and intermediate the shaft I3 and the roller I4. Maintaining the outer portion of the blanket in spaced arrangement around a part of the periphery of the cylinder are the similar rollers I8 rotatably supported in a known manner parallel to the shaft I 3.

Intermediate the aum'liary roller I5 and the blanket roller I6 is the inking roller I9 which is rotatably mounted and coacts with an inking trough 20, the roller I5 being in tangential contact with the screen as shown. The inking roller I 9 may be provided with the known doctor blade 2I for the elimination of excess ink.

Maintaining the blanket I I under tension against the screen I0 and the cylinder I2 are the rotatably mounted rollers 22 and 23 which are maintained axially adjustable relative to the shaft I3 of the cylinder by any suitable means.

For example, at one end the rollers may be journaled inV an axially ,adjustable support 24 spaced below the blanket and at the opposite end by a similar support while a tension adjustment mechanism 25 at both ends of the rollers having a spring 26 intermediate the end support of the rollers and an anchor 21 will vary the tension of the rollers against the blanket when the screw 29 is threaded in and out of the support.

The continuous roll of imprintable exible material 33 is passed around the roller I6 and fed between the screen I0 and the blanket I I around the cylinder and thence between the roller I4 and a coacting roller 30 as illustrated.

In operation:

The shaft I3 of the cylinder and/ or the rollers I4, I6, I'I, I9 and 39 may be driven rollers set into motion by any suitable means. TheV design of the screen shown in Figure 3 is formed by the interconnection of the strands being especially pronounced and inked when the impression of both the strands and the connecting points is transferred by the coaction of theV pressure rollers 22 and 23 and the heat of the cylinder is raised to around'250 F. by any suitable device 34. The ink being on the high spots, the interconnecting points of the strands will be bothV molded and inked in the nal product. If desired, more than one set of the pressure rollers illustrated and described may be used.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact disclosure herein described but may lend itself to a variety of expressions within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A forming and printing device for a continuous roll of flexible material, said device comprising a hollow drum adapted to be heated, two blanketengaging rollers located adjacent to the surface of the drum at a distance from each other which is less than the diameter of the drum, other blanket-engaging rollers located on the side of the drum which is opposite to the rst-mentioned rollers, the second-mentioned rollers being spaced around a portion of the periphery of the drum, a screen-engaging roller located between the two first-mentioned rollers, an endless screen engaging the last-mentioned roller and also engaging said portion of the periphery Vof the drum, an endless blanket engaging the rstand second-mentioned rollers and pressed by the rstand second-mentioned rollers against said p0rtion of the periphery of the drum, an auxiliary roller located between the last-mentioned roller and one of the two rst-mentioned rollers for v tensioning said screen, an inking roller located between the auxiliary roller and Vsaid one of the two first-mentioned rollers and engaging said screen, a roll-feeding roller located adjacent the screen-engaging roller and coacting therewith to feed a roll between said screen and said blanket upon said portion of the periphery of the drum, and a blanket-tensioning device en gaging said blanket between two of the secondmentioned rollers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

